The molding of fasteners that are made from polymers often involves complex tooling. For example, the intricate shape of many fasteners requires that the molds often include complex cavities with multiple movable sections to allow a fastener to be molded and then removed without damage. This use of multiple sections increases the cost of the molds and the complexity of the molding operation.
In copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/279,434, filed on Oct. 24, 2002, a fastener assembly including molded internal flutes is disclosed. Molding such a fastener using an apparatus of the prior art involves significant expense, as a complex mold (as mentioned above) must be utilized. This same problem applies to other plastic products and fasteners that incorporate internal flutes.
As a result, there is a need for a molding apparatus that may overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by allowing a polymer component with internal flutes to be molded and extracted without the use of a complex and costly mold.